A bird? A plane? No, it's a hero cake

OPERATION SUGAR: Four-year-old Harrison Sneddon, who is battling leukaemia, with the Superman cake.

Relevant offers

Harrison Sneddon is obsessed with superheroes, so when a Superman-themed cake arrived at his fourth birthday party he was ecstatic.

But this was no ordinary birthday party - it was Harrison's first as a cancer kid.

The Lower Hutt boy was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia in June and is undergoing intensive chemotherapy that has stripped him of his white-blonde hair.

He is the first child to receive a cake from Operation Sugar, a new charity that provides free custom birthday cakes for seriously ill children and teens.

Harrison's mum, Christa Sneddon, said the cake was a highlight of the party. "He was pretty excited. I think he was stoked to see Superman bursting out of the cake." Harrison's prognosis is promising, but he will have to endure at least three more years of treatment.

The cake was created by Lower Hutt amateur cake decorator Sarah Koopu, who leapt at the chance to help make Harrison's birthday special and take some pressure off his mum.

"Seeing him come to the door dressed like Superman, it was just perfect." The public servant took a day-and-a-half of annual leave to bake and decorate the two-tier chocolate cake before delivering it last Saturday.